Born and bred San Franciscan Michelle Threadgould and her aunt Margarita Lopez come together as the beautiful minds behind local furniture and jewelry line Scorpion Sisters. Inspired by imperfection, the Scorpion Sisters give new life to reclaimed materials by turning them into jewelry, art and furniture designs that are fast becoming a must-haves among Bay Area fans of upcycled luxuries.

Star shaped vintage rhinestone pin necklace, $180.

Chevron rhinestone pin necklace, $115

Antique pin necklace featuring chains and leatherwork, $115.

Designer Michelle Threadgould wearing her own designs as she displays a piece she recently created.

What inspired you to start Scorpion Sisters?

I come from a costume design background. Dreaming up new worlds through design is what I love. Margarita was a visual merchandiser and designed window displays for twenty five years. The two of us like to tell stories through our designs.

We were looking for creative alternatives to our day jobs, and one evening, walking along Embarcadero, we discussed what it would be like to run our own business. My aunt loves live edge wood, and had once made a table out of a beautiful piece that she found at the flea market. So we began going to flea markets, salvage yards and eco-sourced lumber yards and making tables.

Shortly thereafter, I remembered that my aunt used to make beautiful pieces of jewelry as a hobby, and the two of us took the same idea of using reclaimed and upcycled materials as our base. We liked the idea of making jewelry that was one-of-a-kind and asymmetrical as a way to express individuality and to give a special touch to our designs.

You often use recycled materials. Can you let us in on where you find them?

Sixty percent of our materials are reclaimed or eco-sourced. We often find vintage or broken pieces of jewelry at flea markets, thrift stores and estates sales and then we redesign the jewelry, adding crystals, feathers, African beads or whatever new materials inspire us.

What makes your brand and aesthetic distinct and unique?

Both of us are inspired by imperfect things. We like the idea of giving an old item new life and restoring its original beauty. But we do more than that. We give our jewelry an artistic and modern edge with a handmade feel.

This living room setting features the Fleur de Lys-shaped English Walnut Table made of live-edge wood and reclaimed metal legs.

The sisters successfully incorporate unconventional elements into their furniture. Featured is a white wooden plank table with leather stitching.

Obsessed with the Scorpion Sisters yet? Check out their full collection online at scorpionsisters.com. To purchase jewelry, visit their etsy shop.

Our very-visual, (almost) chatter-free snap judgment of the day: the super lightweight and low maintenance glam of the sterling silver Bar None ear threads, $15, by San Francisco-based jewelry designer Enflux. (Perhaps) even better: these simple style-helpers are priced right in line with our post-holiday budgets.

The plot: a queer-identified transgender man from Oakland wants to spread awareness, write a novel and pay for surgery, roughly in that order. To advance this page-turner of a tale, he launches a jewelry company named after a key character in the novel. It may sound like fiction, but that’s essentially the story behind just-launched jewelry line Braeden Glass by designer Ayden Oliver Alberry.

The jewelry line is the real-life company of a fictitious character in Oliver’s in-progress novel, and there’s an etsy shop, a web site and a Kickstarter campaign that go along with it. If the Kickstarter goal of $500 is reached by late next week, Alberry will use the funds to expand the line.

But beyond the backstory, the reason to scan the line’s moody, bohomenian-chic necklaces and bracelets is based purely on looks. Wood, mixed metal charms, pyrite beads, crystals and leather mingle on multi-strand wrist-wrappers that would fit right in during your next arm party.

Our very-visual, (almost) chatter-free snap judgment of the day: an alternative to the usually-bulky look of two-finger rings awaits in the Delicate Silver Double Finger Ring, $45, made of two one-millimeter silver bands soldered together and hand-hammered by San Francisco jewelry label Friedasophie.

Need a holiday party dress? A fun little number for your next big night out? The perfect sparkly, festive, fun thing to don on New Year’s? We’ve picked six party dresses we’d wear in snap. All hail from independent San Francisco sources and are available for sale over the webby-web.

Don the Celeste dress by Kirribilla in black lace with scooped back, gathered bell sleeves, and a statement bow, and you’re sure to turn heads at your next event:

The front is sophisticated, with sleeves and a defined waist.

The back has a big bow for added drama

Make a statement with sequin-covered shoulders and a bombshell silhouette with the Vintage 80′s Trophy Dress from Gravel Ghost Vintage. P.S. the back is open, and the shoulders are padded for even more head-turning impact.

Embellished shoulders and a knee-grazing length stand out in this vintage 80's number from Gravel Ghost Vintage.

Sometimes, when you know you’re about to get loose, you want to dress loose. Amour Vert’s Wendy dress (you knew we were going to throw in an animal print option, le duh) is sassy, eco-friendly and will also let you dance to your heart’s content. We’re thinking big heels and a fitted, cropped jacket would round out this holiday look.

The Wendy dress will let you dance, eat and flounce around the party to your heart's content, thanks to its free-flowing shape and empire styling.

Brighten up the room in this red Alyssa Nicole Cut-Out dress with open shoulders, a gathered skirt and scoop neck. Plus, it comes fully lined and is handmade:

This party dress is made-to-order by a local designer.

The fun and versatile Monaco dress by Eliza Parker is a dressy way to do comfortable stretch jersey. The neckline is also begging for an amazing statement necklace from one of your favorite local jewelry designers.

The Monoco dress by Eliza Parker has a flattering neckline, three-quarter sleeves and also comes in black and burgundy.

Ruffle some feathers (in the best way possible) with the Sierra dress from LHC Couture. With its sweetheart neckline, body-hugging fit and real feather detail, we think it’s festive done with an avant-garde twist. Also, the styling possibilities are fairly endless. We can see this one dressed up with sparkling accessories and soft makeup for the girlie girls or paired with dark tights, huge heels and smoky eyes for a result that’s much more glam-goth.

You'll flock to the Sierra dress by LHC Couture. Hip-level feathers are do avant-garde in a festive way.